Ton-up Virat Kohli all praise for 'game-changer' Moeen Ali
On a day when Virat Kohli made his fifth Twenty20 hundred – all of them coming in the IPL where he is the all-time highest run-getter – Ali was, in the words of the Indian captain, the one who "changed the game".
Kolkata's Eden Gardens holds unpleasant memories for England, given how Carlos Brathwaite snatched the ICC World T20 2016 trophy from under their noses with four sixes off Ben Stokes' final over. Turning out for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Kolkata Knight Riders, all those memories came back for Ali on Friday, 19 April.
.@DaleSteyn62 and Moeen take us through the nervy win, the paceman's 9 year @RCBTweets wait and memories of the iconic Eden Gardens.
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 20, 2019
P.S What's your views on Moeen's last over, @benstokes38 ?
By @28anand. #KKRvRCB
Watch the full video 📹 - https://t.co/QJghzfMlR9 pic.twitter.com/lsTE968rx6
Thrown the ball by his franchise captain Kohli in the final over – the only one he bowled – he was facing another big-hitting West Indian in fantastic form and who threatened to take the game away. Andre Russell was in a punishing mood, having got to 59 off 22 balls, and needing 24 runs in the last over to chase down a target of 214 – not impossible for him at all. Ali, however, kept his cool, going for just 13 runs, and playing a part in having Russell run out.
"This particular ground, World Cup final, Ben Stokes – it's exactly what I was thinking," admitted Ali after the game. "I've given him (Stokes) a lot of stick for that. It did cross my mind. I thought, I'd better get this right or he's going to give it to me back!"
Ali's match-winning contribution began a lot before that. He smashed an entertaining 66 off just 28 balls, changing the momentum at a time when Kohli too appeared scratchy. He was especially brutal on Kuldeep Yadav, carting the left-arm wrist-spinner for 27 runs before finally being caught in the last ball of the over. Ali's knock included five fours and six sixes.
"It was a very small boundary one side, I targetted that," he said, insisting it was all about keeping it simple.
The final, thrilling 12 balls of the 2016 final, including Brathwaite's four sixes
Kohli, meanwhile, was profuse in his praise, happy with the "composure" Ali showed with the ball and intent displayed with the bat. "The length balls were difficult to get away," he said. "But the way Mo came in and batted, it took the momentum from them and put it back in our lap. He changed the game completely and that allowed me to play through.
"[When he came on] he said, 'I'm going to go now' and I just said go for it. He targetted the small boundary, he was smart about where he hit the sixes, he changed the game completely in those overs."